I love to give handmade gifts. I really do. BUT they usually require thought, planning, and more creativity than I can muster on an average day. However this simple DIY doll bedding has been on the to do list for longer than any blogger/mother should admit. Therefore I won’t admit it, and we can all just pretend I dreamed this up and immediately made that dream a handmade reality.
I bought the DUKTIG doll bed on a random IKEA trip. Because parenthood. It has been sitting in a drawer…oh crap I’m not supposed to admit any of this…it comes with bedding, but I thought I could make something cuter. Something more fitting for Ramona’s room. Plus I had the fabric on hand.
I also had this on hand. My name is Amber, and I am a craft hoarder. If you don’t have densified batting hanging around, you can use anything to pad your doll mattress. Fabric scraps, regular batting, rip up a pillow and destuff it, or don’t use anything…no rules when it comes to a doll mattress. Pro tip – the doll will never know the difference.
The densified batting is in layers, so I just peeled off a layer about 3/4″ thick to make the mattress. Cut it to fit the bed and leave a little bit of space for your sheet.
I decided to make an envelope enclosure since that is crazy easy. You will need to make 3 cuts –
20″ x 12 3/4″ (the front)
14″ x 12 3/4″ (the long enclosure piece)
10″ x 12 3/4″ (the shorter enclosure piece)
FYI this fabric is from Walmart.
Start with the enclosure pieces. Finish an edge on each piece. If you are using loose materials for your mattress filling just make sure to sew some velcro on the tabs at this point.
Overlap the enclosure pieces and line them up with your 20″ x 12 3/4″ front piece. Right sides together. Sew all the sides.
Turn it right side out through the envelope enclosure. Press it. Insert the filling. Bam doll mattress complete.
Now onto the pillow. I used the excess from the batting for the mattress to make the pillow. It was a 10″ x 5″ pillow. I cut a 12″ x 13″ piece of fabric, and sewed the bottom and the side.
Then I folded 1/2″ under and 2″ over. I pressed it and put the batting it. I could have sewed it around, but I wanted to use the 2″ overlap to hide the pillow.
I made Ramona a nap mat from Heather Ross’s Far Far Away line (Princess and the Pea + Clover), so I obviously needed to use that fabric for her doll. Also she has Heather Ross’s Princess and the Pea print in her room. (She is going to freak on Christmas morning.) Unfortunately the only left overs I could find were 15″ wide. Not a huge deal. The doll is covered, but if I were making this from different fabric I would have made it wider.
Pin your pieces right sides together and sew 3 sides shut. Turn and press your fabric.
I cut a piece of white felt out to slip between the fabrics to give the blanket more weight and actually feel like a comforter. Fold the bottom pieces down. Sew the bottom close and top stitch around the rest of the blanket.
It took me about 2 hours to complete and that was with taking photos for this, so not too bad. Technically it didn’t cost me anything except a dip into my endless piles of fabric and apparently densified batting.
Molly sleeps in full American girl attire each night…maybe someone needs to sew her some pjs.
I am linking up to my favorite ladies with Dare to DIY. Go check out all the handmade gift goodness with Rachel, Katja, Kim, and Michelle.
I made some Vanilla Brown Sugar Body Scrub. You can grab the recipe and the free printable for a quick and easy handmade gift!
Oh, molly. Somebody needs to come over and peek through my own stockpile … OF AMERICAN GIRL DOLLS AND CLOTHES. Because God knows I have me some Molly striped pjs, circa 1995.
In other news, I love your bedding. It’s so much better than the IKEA version. Like, duh. Of course it is.
You are an awesome mon. and a totally rocking blogger. Says me. Thanks for linking up.
Oh my gosh don’t tempt me!! I’ll be on a plane tomorrow! I got so excited today because Samantha is back!
Thanks friend! I’m so glad you hosted, and I got my gift done in time!!
it’s adorable!!!! love it, amber! my mother in law made bedding for emmy’s ikea doll bed. she did better than i ever would have!
It was so easy! Sewing straight lines are my jam.
But the important thing is… does Molly like it? She looks pretty happy to me – all smiles. Seeing a fake child enjoy the magic of a DIY holiday project just warms my heart! 😉 Seriously, this rocks.
I think Molly totally loves it. It’s pretty comfortable with the batting! Much better than the bed roll it came with!
That is the perfect size for the American Girl doll! The bedding is great too. You are so crafty!
It had to work for Molly because I didn’t buy her bed last year before she “retired” and went into storage forever. She had a cute Jenny Lind bed too. Ramona will get a kick out of the matching blanket though.
This is SO cute! Bodhi has the same doll bed and a cute boy doll. I can’t sew but could probably pull this off with the stitch witch stuff.
LOVE the fabrics you chose!
The bedding that comes with it is so boy though, so it totally works for him!!
You just never cease to amaze me. Polka dotted sheet and pillow. Reversible duvet. It is so good!!! I love it Amber!! You always have the best projects!
You are so sweet! I figured the polka dotted sheet was a good choice because that’s what her sheets are and I already had the fabric. Basically can’t lose at that point!
Good job! And thanks for reminding me that K keeps asking for a mattress, pillow and blanket for the wooden doll cradle that she plays with here. It was Jen’s, and I can’t remember if we ever had bedding for it or not.
Oh so precious!! You’ll be able to whip something up so quick, and she will love it!
So darling! I love that fabric. I just recently dug my old Felicity doll out of my mom’s basement (to give to my infant daughter–totally normal), then decided she was too pretty and nice for Darcy, and it’s taking everything in me not to brush her hair and change her clothes every day. It’s all the fun of having a child without the diapers and crying and pooping everywhere. I’m not weird. This isn’t weird.
Not weird at all. I’m only saying that because that would be something I’d do. I mean I did buy Ramona a Molly doll way too early because she was being retired and I wanted her. I clearly had no other choice. It’s a rough life being a girl mom.
Even Ramona’s dolls are more stylish than I am. Man.
This is so stinking cute. I’m digging the fabric combo!
Yeah her nap mat turned out pretty boss. I never blogged about because laziness. I’ve always loved that line of fabric though.
Love it. Lilly is obsessed with her dolls and I made her something similar a while back.
Ramona is really into crafting right now which just equals making a giant mess, so I’m hoping this will renew her interest in dolls! 😉
oh, so adorable! I love the fabrics you used! Back when we built a crappy doll bed for Abe, my diy blanket was a piece of felt I cut to the right size, so I’m super impressed with this
I’m sure Abe was just as thrilled about it!
Good ol’ Molly. She seems quite cozy and snug in her new bedding. Hey, can you make this in human size? I’m a little obsessed with those fabrics. So I’ll place one king-size bed order.
I skillz stop at doll bedding. This is an unfortunate reality.
To quote Ava “I like that because I like awesomeness and coolness!”
I think Ava needs ones too!!